blackberry stars
by peppermintteababy
Summary: a modern AU reylo one-shot - reylo, grad school!AU


Blackberry stars are what Rey called the harder-to-spot specks of light in the sky, shadowed by the bigger and brighter celestial orbs. But, settled into their own world, unconcerned with the beauty pageant all other stars participated in, the blackberry stars were the most beautiful. They were more distant and complacent, but when Rey swivelled her telescope and spotted one nestled in a galaxy far away, she found them to hold a gentle glow unlike the others of the night sky.

As an astronomy student, Rey spent most of her time up on the roof of her apartment complex. She recorded the movements of the stars and the phases of the moon, created her own clock on the floor of the roof, and set up her telescope in a cosy corner away from immediate view of the door. As it was only her first week of living in her new flat, she had yet to meet any of her neighbours, but that changed when the door to the roof swung open and a deep growl burst from the mouth of the newcomer.

Rey spun and ducked down behind the water tank nearest her and with wide eyes, watched the man who had interrupted her nighttime observations. Sharp cheekbones accentuated his pale skin and dark eyes just as his height encouraged the perspective of unfriendliness that came from his mouth. He was not at all handsome, but yet he was not unpleasant to rest her eyes on. His nose was quite large but it seemed to fit his oddly crooked face. His lips were thin and pulled into a grimace as he paced the rooftop, occasionally spitting out muttered remarks too quiet for Rey to hear fully.

Brushing her long hair back away from her face, Rey leaned closer to watch her neighbour. He paced with strong strides and his hands clenched into fists, a black leather jacket emphasizing his broad shoulders. All of a sudden, he turned his gaze her direction and paused in his expression of anger.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," his voice came low and somewhat calm as if he were speaking to a skittish kitten. Rey straightened and looked over the water tank at her neighbour.

"Are you okay?" Rey breathed, eyeing his clenched fists and frowning features. She wasn't quite sure if she should be afraid of him or concerned for him, but she was certainly curious. As this man was the first of her neighbours she would meet, she wanted to make a good impression but also discern whether she should look for a new place or call the police.

"I'm fine. I- nevermind. What are you doing up here?" He asked, stepping a bit closer and searching her person with his eyes for some indication of her purpose. When his gaze settled on her telescope set up behind her, his eyes lit up in recognition and realisation. "You're the new neighbour."

"Yes," Rey smiled hesitatingly. She bent down to pick up her plain brown notebook from the gravel beside her telescope and gestured the hand with the notebook in it to the instrument. "I'm studying."

"You're an astronomy student?" he questioned. "I didn't know those still existed."

Rey laughed, "Hey!"

"Sorry," the man responded. "Are you not cold at all up here?"

Rey looked down to her thin half-sleeved knit sweater and then back up to the man's thick leather jacket. She hadn't thought of putting on something heavier, and to be completely honest, she hadn't noticed the wind blowing above and around the apartment complex's roof as she had been so absorbed into her own work. The thought of wearing longer sleeves or a heavier coat slipped her mind completely as she hurried to be at the roof of the apartment complex at the right times for observation. When the clouds were clear and the lights of the city were the slightest bit dimmer below the horizon, she didn't once think of the cold or the biting wind, only the sky and its inhabitants.

"Actually," Rey paused. "I hadn't thought of that."

Her neighbour snorted softly through his nose, but nonetheless, he seemed amused. "You're not from around here, are you? In about" - he looked down to a watch on his wrist - "ten minutes, you'll wish you wore something thicker."

Rey blinked, narrowing her eyes at the young man and thinking before she spoke. "Thank you, then." She turned back to her telescope and squatted down to peek through the lens.

With several assignments bearing down on her back for the past week, Rey had a lot to catch up on. She had been a student at Luuke University for the past year online mostly, but finally decided she wanted a look into the campus life. She chose this apartment complex because of its location and her first impression of its height, stretching high above several of the other buildings near it, which would provide her a perfect vantage point for her nightly observations.

Her research on Blackberry stars had been quite a hit among the students in her classes and even her professors liked the way she explained what she observed. Rey wasn't originally from the city and the way she expressed herself sometimes seemed a bit primitive or childish, but she didn't consider herself any different from any of the students trying to make a living in the city. She managed to progress in her studies and pick up odd jobs here and there as her parents had never once supported her growing up let alone out of their house.

In truth, Rey hadn't brought any coats or winter-wear. It was spring in the city and she expected it to gradually get warmer. She could endure a bit of cold.

Upon hearing the roughness of her neighbour's sigh behind her, Rey nearly stood and turned, but just as she was about to do so, something warm slipped over her shoulders and settled on her back. Rey looked up and saw her neighbour walking away, dressed in tight black skinny jeans and a simple black long-sleeve. The leather jacket he had been wearing was now draped over her slim shoulders, the warmth from where it had previously hung from his body seeping through the thin fabric of her sweater. She watched him walk away with a curious gaze, observing his body language, the slight swagger in the way he walked and placed each foot down on the gravel of the roof.

He was confident, and, from the back, unobtrusive to the eyes, a dimmer glowing star than others - a blackberry star. Rey slipped her arms into the arms of the leather jacket and held the hem close to her heart, finally returning to her work with the warmth of his jacket pulsing through her veins like hot tea.

"Hey, what's your name?" Rey spoke up at the last moment, just as his hand reached for the door handle.

He looked over his shoulder, his eyes squinting in an almost half-smile. "Kylo."


End file.
